Cylinder liner splitting tool



Oct. 20, 1964 R. P BLOOMER CYLINDER LINER SPLITTING TOOL Filed July 18, 1962 INVENTOR. 5400/ 755 fl ffdQ/Vf/J Zaaerf? United States Patent 3,153,281 CYLINDER LINER SPLITTING TOOL Robert Percival Bloomer, 1 Prospect St., Ridgewood, NJ. Filed July 18, 1962, Ser. No. 210,716 3 Claims. (Cl. 30-91) This invention relates to power tools, and more particularly to a tool for removing tube linings from cylinder walls.

Machines, such as reciprocating pumps and internal combustion engines, are provided with thin tubular shells or sleeves which form the inside surface of the cylinders.

This permits the cylinders to be renewed when the walls become worn simply by replacing the liner instead of completely reboring the cylinder.

In the past, this has been accomplished by the use of a chisel to split the wall of the liner longitudinally along its length. This operation is usually performed by hand, and is time-consuming, and in some cases, the location of the cylinder makes the manipulation of the hammer and chisel awkward and difficult.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a power-operated tool which will cut the wall of a cylinderliner along its length.

Another feature of the invention is to provide a power-operated cutting tool designed to split a cylinder liner in a lengthwise direction and which is provided with means to regulate the depth of the cut to prevent damage to the cylinder casting itself.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the following specification in connection with the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a double cylinder with a tool constructed in accordance with this invention, inserted into one ofthe cylinders, a portion of the cylinder being cut away to show the method of operation;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross section of the tool taken on a horizontal plane;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the tool;

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-section of the forward portion of the device, taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a rear elevation of the tool;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view of the interior of a cylinder and perspective view on the same scale as FIG. 4, showing a guide for use with the tool; and,

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of FIG. 6, but of modified form.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the numeral 10 indicates a casting provided with a pair of cylinders provided with internal liners 11, comprising relatively thin-walled cylindrical tubes of metal. In FIG. 1, a liner removing tool, indicated generally by numeral 12, is shown in use for the removal of one of the liners 11.

This tool comprises an elongated tubular handle portion 13, provided with an operating head 14 at one end. This head is preferably formed from a single block of metal which may be bored from one end, as at 15, to receive a cylindrical handle 13. The handle may be press-fitted into the here to provide permanent eng-age ment between them.

The head 14 is also provided with a transversely extending bore 16, which intersects the bore 15 in a common axial plane. Press-fitted into the ends of the bore 16 are a pair of anti-friction bearings 17 and 18, which rotatably support a shaft 19, one end of which projects outwardly of the head 14 to carry a radial metal-cutting saw blade 2%, which may be removably secured to the shaft as by means of a screw 21.

The ends of the tubular handle 13 are also provided with a pair of press-fitted anti-friction bearings 22 and 23 to rotatably support a drive shaft 24. One end of 3,153,281 Patented Oct. 20, 1964 ventional flexible cable 26 to a motor (not shown). or

other source of rotary power. The other end of the shaft 24 is provided with a bevel gear 27, so as to openatively engage with a pinion gear 28 on the shaft 19.

At the forward end of the operating head 14, there is provided a transversely extending vertical slot 29, which extends upwardly into the head from the bottom side thereof. The front face of the head is also provided with a pair of vertically extending relatively narrow slots 30 and 31, which intersect the slot 29. A depth gauge, indicated generally by numenal 8 for controlling the depth of the cut of the tool comp-rises a generally L-shaped member composed of a strip of flat metal, bent to provide an elongated lower bearing surface 32 and an upwardly extending leg 33.

An adjusting pin 34 is rotatably carried by a pair of aligned openings 35 and 36, which extend horizontally into the slot 31 from one side of the head 14. The outer end of the opening 35 may be counter-bored to receive the enlarged head 37 of the pin and this head may be slotted to permit rotation by a tool such as a screwdriver. Supported in the slot 31 is a toothed Wheel, or pinion gear, 38 fixed on the pin 34 so as to operatively engage with a series of vertically disposed teeth 39 formed on the front face of the leg 33, whereby rotation of the pin 34 will cause the gauge to move upwardly or downwardly. The leg 33 is also threaded to receive a fiatheiaded set screw 40 arranged to ride in the slot 30, and when tightened, to hold the gauge in the selected vertical position.

As a convenience in using the liner remover, a guide, indicated generally by numeral 9, may be provided as shown in FIG. 6. This guide comprises an elongated rod 41, having an offset handle portion 42 at one end. A stationary clamp 43, which may abut against one end of the liner has a suitable rotary connection with the far end of the rod 41 to permit rotation of the rod, but not axial displacement. A portion of the rod adjacent the handle is threaded as at 44 to receive the internally threadedclamp 45.

In operation, the depth gauge is first adjusted by rotation of the pin 34 until the lower edge of the blade 20 projects below the bearing surface 32 a distance equal to the thickness of the liner to be cut. The depth gauge is then fixed in this position by means of the set screw 40.

The guide rod 41 will be inserted into the cylinder with the clamp 43 abutting the far edge of the liner 11. The clamp 45 is then brought up tightly against the near edge of the liner by rotating the rod. Thereafter, with the projecting end of the drive shaft 24 being connected with a source of power such as the chuck 25, the cutting blade 20 is brought into contact with the inner surface of the liner at the near end with the bearing surface 32 of the depth gauge being held against the side of the guide rod 41. In this manner, a cut is made along the length of the liner by moving the tool forwardly until it has traversed the entire length of the cylinder. One or more additional passes of the blade may have to be made until the liner has been cut entirely through.

After this first cut has been made, the tool is removed and the guide rod 41 is moved to a position on the liner approximately diametrically across from the first cut, and a second lengthwise cut is made with the tool. In FIG. 1, these two cuts are represented in one of the liners by the dotted lines 46 and 47, and since each of these cuts removes a certain amount of metal along the entire length of the liner and separates it approximately into two halves 48 and 49, it will be obvious that this has the effect of reducing the diameter of the liner to permit each of the halves to be removed from the cylinder without difficulty.

A modified form of guide indicated generally by numeral 9, is shown in FIG. 7. In this instance, an elongated fiat strip of metal 50 is employed, the crosssection of which may be curved in a transverse direction to conform generally with the configuration of the liner 11.. One end of the strip is bent at right angles to provide a projecting lug 51 for engagement with one end of the liner. The other end of the strip projects outwardly beyond the other end of the liner and is longitudinally bifurcated to provide the parallel projecting leg portions 52 and 53. The extending edge of the leg portion 52 extends in a straight line in alignment with the edge 55 of the strip to provide a continuous guide surface for the tool. The other leg 53 may be threaded as at 56 to receive a threaded clamping nut 57.

In operation, the guide 50 is positioned longitudinally of the liner with the lug 51 abutting one edge of the liner and, while in this position, the clamping nut 57 is drawn up rightly against the other edge of the liner. Since the nut 57 is laterally offset to one side of the leg 52, it will not interfere with the movement of the tool, and a continuous guiding edge extending out beyond the end of the liner is provided by the aligned edges 54 and 55.

It should be understood that one of the advantages of this method is that the use of a rotary cutter operating at relatively high speed permits removal of liner metal without the exertion of any appreciable longitudinal force on the liner.

In prior methods, where a chisel is employed to remove the metal, the liner will remain in place while the first slit is being made. However, the repeated hammer blows on the chisel in attempting to make the second slit will tend to drive the liner inwardly, since it has become slightly contracted and loosened as a result of the first slit.

Therefore, with the chisel method, it is usually only possible to slit the liner once, and its removal thereafter is still somewhat difficult. v

The cutter disclosed by this invention enables the second slit to be made without displacement of the liner,

and with the liner split into two or more sections (rather than merely inwardly contracted while still in one piece), there is no difliculty in removal.

It will be evident that this invention results in the provision of a simple tool for use in removing cylinder liners quickly and efficiently without damaging the surrounding walls of the cylinder itself.

Other modifications and improvements will be obvious to those skilled in the art which would come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a tool for removing thin-walled cylinder liners, the combination including an elongated handle, rotary cutter means mounted at one end of the handle and positioned to revolve at right angles to the axis of the handle, depth gauge means positioned on the handle means adjacent the cutter means, said gauge means being mounted to be adjustable in a direction at right angles to the axis of the cutter means and the longitudinal axis of the handle, and means at the other end of the handle to connect with a rotary drive means to drive said cutter means.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said depth gauge means includes an elongated portion slidingly received within a recess in the handle, and means is provided to fix the position of said portion.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2, wherein said elongated portion of the depth gauge means is provided with teeth to form a rack, and a pinion gear is rotatably mounted on the handle in operative engagement with said rack.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. IN A TOOL FOR REMOVING THIN-WALLED CYLINDER LINERS, THE COMBINATION INCLUDING AN ELONGATED HANDLE, ROTARY CUTTER MEAN MOUNTED AT ONE END OF THE HANDLE AND POSITIONED TO REVOLVE AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE AXIS OF THE HANDLE, DEPTH GAUGE MEANS POSITIONED ON THE HANDLE MEANS ADJACENT THE CUTTER MEANS, SAID GAUGE MEANS BEING MOUNTED TO BE ADJUSTABLE IN A DIRECTION AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE AXIS OF THE CUTTER MEANS AND THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS 